Bishop: Two-year program will re-vision Diocese

During a two-hour meeting June 12 at St. Edward the Confessor Church in Clifton Park, Bishop Howard J. Hubbard outlined a diocesan-wide effort to plan for the future of the Albany Diocese.

Between 800 and 900 parish leaders and diocesan staff attended the meeting, where they learned about "Called to be Church," as the new effort is titled.

In his 35-minute talk, the Bishop said that "Called to be Church" is "an opportunity to dream a new Church into being, to evangelize and reevangelize, to recommit ourselves to realize the kingdom of God more fully."

Questions to weigh

Bishop Hubbard invited all Catholics to "ask this question: 'What do we need to do today in order to create the condition for the possibility of belief and witness, both for ourselves and for those who will come after us?'"

He listed a number of questions that Catholics should weigh as they discuss the future but added that more were sure to arise as consultations are held in multiple regions throughout the Diocese.

A key step throughout the consultation, he emphasized, is prayer "to keep us focused on the mission, and enable us to address complex problems with civility, tolerance and charity."

Mission first

In announcing the program, Bishop Hubbard said that the mission of Jesus should take precedence in all planning.

"That mission takes primacy over geography and ethnicity," he said, "and our call to 'be Church' in a given area necessitates that we expand the notion of a parish if we are to fulfill that call.

"No matter how upsetting this may be for some, our love of Jesus, and our call to witness to His mission and ministry require this transformation."

Emotional time

During his talk and later at a press conference at the Pastoral Center in Albany, the Bishop recognized that change engenders strong emotions, but he urged Catholics to seize the opportunity to improve how the Diocese and parishes carry on the work of Jesus.

"I know people come to this process with many feelings," he noted, listing anxiety, anger, frustration, skepticism, cynicism, hurt and loss. "I empathize with those feelings because change is unsettling in any circumstance, but even more so when change affects our faith and our spiritual home: the parish."

However, he continued, change "need not be traumatic. It can be an opportunity for growth, renewal and revitalization."

Previous change

Over the 2,000-year history of the Church and the 159-year history of the Diocese, the Bishop explained, there have been many changes as Catholics re-shaped the Church to meet the needs of different times.

Said the Bishop: "The Church the Apostles knew in terms of organization, roles, ministries and structures was not the Church of fourth-century Rome...of the colonial Church in North and South America...of the immigrant Church in the United States during the late 19th and early 20th centuries...or of those who first felt the winds of change and renewal emanating from that watershed event of 20th-century Catholicism: the Second Vatican Council of the 1960s."

As an example of change in the Diocese, he pointed to parish life directors' leading parishes, an idea that was unknown 25 years ago and is now widely seen as an effective way to deal with the clergy shortage.

Principles

The Bishop outlined five key principles that will guide "Called to be Church:"

1. The process will be grounded in prayer;

2. the focus must be on mission;

3. all segments of the Diocese will participate;

4. the process will involve local planning groups throughout the Diocese; and

5. the process will involve dialogue among pastoral leaders and hundreds of parishioners in order to achieve the goal of living the Gospel message to its fullest.

Timeline

The timeline for "Called to be Church" is:

* From now to the end of 2006, preparation for the dialogue groups;

* from January 2007 to June 2008, planning discussions and development of recommendations by the local groups;

* from July 2008 to September 2008, review of the recommendations by the diocesan Planning Advisory Committee;

* September 2008, decisions by Bishop; and

* January 2009, implementation of the plans.

(The complete text of the Bishop's remarks can be found by clicking on this caption.. The Evangelist will carry numerous articles about "Called to be Church" in coming months.)

(6/15/06) [[In-content Ad]]